Household Food Insecurity Scores are Higher among Adults Infected with COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Online Study among an Iranian Population

Naser  Kalantari; Hassan  Eini-Zinab; Neda  Ezzeddin; Nastaran  Miri

doi:10.18502/jehsd.v6i4.8151

Naser Kalantari Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, and Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hassan Eini-Zinab Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, and Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Neda Ezzeddin Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nastaran Miri Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jehsd.v6i4.8151

Keywords: COVID-19, Pandemics, Health Personnel, Food Insecurity.

Abstract

Introduction: Food insecurity has negative impacts on health, including the function of the immune system. The association between food insecurity and COVID-19 infection rates has not been fully understood. This study aimed to examine whether food-insecure households are more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.

Materials and Methods: This online cross-sectional study was conducted on 2,871 Iranian adults (31 provinces), from August to September 2020. Demographic and socio-economic information was collected using a questionnaire. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used for assessing household food insecurity. The data analysis was performed by SPSS.22, using Chi-square test, ANOVA test, and Multinomial Logistic Regression Model.

Results: The findings indicated that healthcare personnel were at higher risk of COVID-19 (CI = 1.90, 7.05; OR = 3.66; P < 0.001). It was also shown that HFIAS scores were significantly higher among infected people compared to non-infected (CI = 1.00, 1.05; OR = 1.03; P < 0.05). Women were at lower risk of infection compared to men (CI = 0.41, 0.87; OR = 0.60; P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Based on the results, in addition to long-term policies to improve food security, policymakers are recommended to implement short-term policies to reduce the vulnerability of the community to COVID-19 virus.